Golden Sun 3: The War of Alchemy
by Pika girl15
Summary: It is a bare few weeks after the last lighthouse was lit, and Isaac and co are already off again, this time to fulfil a ancient prophecy and restore the Clans....R&R ppls plz. Chapter 9 now up, Across the Eastern Sea.
1. In The beginning

                                                Golden Sun 3: The War of Alchemy

(Disclaimer: I do not own gs.

Ivan – u haven't finished the Rabid bubblegum story yet, and ur already onto a another story?!

PG – the rabid bubblegum story was what I call….filler. getting the creativity going for a big one like this.

Ivan – but how do I kno that ur gonna actually complete this?

PG - *holds up a red notebook * Because of this! I have the entire story planned out!! I kno eeeexactly whats gonna happen! I kno whether you are going to live or die!!!

Ivan – you wouldn't kill me off! I'm your fav GS character!!!

PG – eeeeeeexactly. *flicks through 5 off pages of notes * hmm….i don't see Ivan dieing in here…..you're clean.

Ivan – Yay!)

"Cloak," A low voice whispered.

The girl's body immediately blended in with the tent flap behind her. There was not a bare flicker of movement when she crept forwards.

_Perfect._

She continued to steal throughout the excavation camp, before coming to the centre of camp- a roped-off hole in the ground. The workmen had already dug deep; this is what was worrying the girl.

_If they dig much further, they'll find just what they're looking for- and their worst nightmare…_

The girl slipped under the rope, hoping to find what she wanted while she still had the cover of darkness to protect her.

The hole dug in the ground was deeper than she had first estimated, and she ended up sliding down the muddy bank, having missed the ladder leading down. When she reached the bottom of the pit, she quickly grabbed a candle from her pack, and lit it. The cloak psynergy wore off, but she felt safe enough at the bottom of the hole. The light was a small light, but sufficient enough to let the girl see what she wanted. She let out a terrified gasp.

The workmen had dug down so they were bare inches from the peak of Mt Aleph. But, there was a man-shaped hole in the soil.

_Not good._

Suddenly, a hand shot from behind, and covered the girl's mouth before she had time to scream. A second arm snaked around her neck, almost strangling her. A hoarse voice whispered in her ear.

"Freeze,"

The girl quickly reached for her sword, and spun it out of its sheath. Wrenching herself out off the attacker's grasp, she turned the sword point to the attacker, finally seeing his features.

_I knew it- it's him!!_

The man drew his own sword. He did not seem to know this girl, however much she knew him. He lunged at her, and she expertly blocked.

_I need to get out of here fast._

"Spark plasma!!!" She cried.

Bolts of lightening struck the man. The girl, seeing her chance, stamped on her dropped candle, and re-cloaked. Then, she ran, as if being chased by wolves, up the slope, out of the pit.

"You OK, Ivan?" A soft voice asked from behind.

Ivan jumped, and brushed a stand of blonde hair out of his eyes. Turning round, he found the speaker to be a blue-haired girl- Mia.

"Uh, I guess I'm ok," He answered. "It's just…"

"Yeah?"

"I sense…something bad…coming sooner than I can properly foresee it…" Ivan frowned, placing a hand upon his brow. "Yeowch…headache…"

Mia strode over, and cast a quick ply. Ivan smiled, looking up at the Mercury adept.

"Thanks," He said.

Mia laughed, before her expression turned serious again.

"How much have you sensed?"

"There's going to be a war over Alchemy. And…just faintly…the return of an old enemy, but whom…I cannot see," Ivan explained.

Mia nodded. "A war for Alchemy is unavoidable. We've already seen some of the rebel factions who want a slice of action. But…do you mean a full-out war or something?"

"The climax is fast approaching. Things are going to happen to all of us…some bad, some good. Maybe we could ask Kraden about anything foretold to happen after the lighting of the lighthouses," Ivan suggested.

Mia agreed. "Yah. We'll wait for everyone else to wake up, then see if Sheba's seen anything, and ask Kraden. 'Till then, lets have some breakfast, shall we?"

"You don't have to treat me like a 5-year-old!!!" Ivan cried, sticking his tongue out.

Mia laughed again, and dug half a loaf of bread out of her pack.

"Let's try toasting this without Garet or Jenna burning it," She mused.

"I heard that!!!" Garet muttered, stumbling out of one of the tents. Not being fully awake, he fell onto a tree trunk. "Oof!"

His yells awoke the rest of the group, and so out they tumbled- Isaac, Felix, Sheba, Jenna and Piers, in front of a hysterically laughing Ivan and Mia.

"It's not funny!" Isaac moaned, at the bottom of the pile of adepts.

Asked about the books on the Alchemy Wars, Kraden knew a surprising amount.

"Well! There's a prophecy that two adepts of each element will re-start the great clans. They will be able to overcome the rebel factions, and bring peace to Weyard, and get rid of the 'Evil one'," Kraden explained.

"Any idea who these adepts are?" Felix wondered.

"Umm…no, not really," Kraden admitted. "But I remember a book in Tolbi library that had some information on that. We should travel to Tolbi!"

"To Tolbi!" Isaac exclaimed, standing up from the circle of his friends.

"To Tolbi," The rest of the group murmured in union.

(

Ivan – To Tolbi!!! Hey, I don't wanna go to Tolbi…

Pg - *holds up little red book* this says that the group goes to Tolbi. You're going to Tolbi.

Ivan - *nicks book* hey, cool! I-

PG – NOOOO!!! DON'T TELL THEM OR I'LL CUT THAT PART OUT!!!

Ivan - *quickly gives book back* k!

Pg – R&R, ppls.


	2. Saving a Jupiter Adept

(Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun.

Pg – hey hey, chapter two and not even a page of notes written!

Ivan – is that a good thing?

PG – ummm, I dunno. It might be, because it shows how long this story's gonna be, but it might not be cos it shows how little I've prepared for this chappy…but I dreamt the scene last night, and I can remember it, so is that good?

Ivan – well…if u can transfer a dream into words, then…yes.

PG – WOOOOT! R&R please ppl)

Chapter 2

The group tramped through the forested areas near Kalay. It was a long trek through these areas, past Kalay itself, and through Gondowan cave, and across plains to Tolbi. There was now a faint drizzle of rain dampening spirits. To think that a few days ago, they slept in soft beds in Vault…to think of that was torture. Being under the canopy of trees, the rain did not hit as hard as it could have, but it was still wet. Heavy drops collected on leaves and dropped onto the heads of the adepts. Wet twigs cracked half-heartedly, adding to the noise of the rain and the silence of the group. Hardly anyone felt like talking, and those who did couldn't think of what to say. Each and every one was wrapped in her or his thoughts, whether those thoughts were the task ahead, the likeliness of stopping at the Kalay inn, or what their last meal was (Ivan - *cough cough * GARET *cough cough * PG – shhhhhhh!!). Suddenly, there was a resounding crash in the undergrowth ahead.

"What the-" Felix started, before realising that everyone else had already run ahead.

In the clearing just ahead of them, there were three heavily armed men- swords ready, extra daggers at their waists, and a bow and quiver each – thrusting at a girl, barely taller than Ivan, who was desperately trying to defend herself. Her brown eyes flashed with determination and strength as one slight, slanting beam of sunlight that came through the green canopy with the dieing rain. Some kind of necklace glittered in the light. It was obvious that the girl was beginning to lose.

_Who to help? The men, or the girl? Either one may be thieves,_ Piers thought.

As if reading Piers' mind, Ivan did a quick mind-read on one of the men.

"They're bandits!" He cried, rushing forwards to help the girl.

The rest of the party followed, and as the bandits turned to see themselves outnumbered, they seized the opportunity to rush into the denser wood to the right.

The girl stood, panting, and sheathed her sword. 

_Did I just see a glint of gold?_ Jenna thought.

Ivan walked over to the girl, and asked, "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," She answered. "Just…a little worn out now, I guess,"

Ivan cocked his head to one side, and studied the girl for a moment. "You're an adept, aren't you? Why didn't you use psynergy against those guys?"

"Yep, I'm an adept," She admitted. "And I ran outta PP,"

"What's your name?" Isaac asked, walking over. 

"Bethany," She answered.

That night, Bethany was offered to join Isaac and company's camp. As they were sat around a fire with some game roasting on a spit, Sheba decided to try and find a out a bit more about the group's guest. She used a mind read, making sure that no-one would notice.  

"Mind read…"She whispered silently…

A moment or two passed, as Sheba tried to read Bethany's mind…but…it seemed blocked. Bethany looked up suddenly, and glared at Sheba.

"Y'know, if you want to know more about me, you could just _ask_," She said sharply.

Sheba turned red and silent.

"Well?"

Sheba mumbled something under her breath, and was aware of the looks everyone was giving her. 

"Uhhhh, _I'd_ like to know something about you," Mia said.

"Hmm…the long or short version? Basic or in-depth?" Bethany asked.

"Uh, you give us your…long version, we'll give you ours, right, guys?" Mia looked around the group, as they each nodded in turn.

"Ok." Bethany took a deep breath, and begun. "I'm 15, and a Jupiter adept. I'm not sure where I was born, my…my parents were always travelling here and there. One day, when I was about 9, they decided to settle down, find a place to live, to have a proper home. There was this mountain-" She pointed to a range of mountains to the left of where Vale once was, "- called Thor's Peak. On the side of the mountain there was a village of Jupiter adepts. My grandparents lived there, so we decided to go settle down. The village was called Thor's Village.

            Anyways, even though there wasn't much means of communication up on a mountain, we still always knew when bad things and good things were gonna happen, being a town of Jupiter adepts. Also, from the peak of the mountain, we could always see if something major was happening. Like, when the Elemental Lighthouses were lit- someone would foresee it, so then we could all go up to the top of the mountain and watch the lighthouses burst into life…

            Shortly after the last lighthouse was lit, my grandfather foresaw a evil Mercury adept climbing Mt Aleph, and being buried alive with it when it sunk into the earth. He also foresaw the archaeologists trying to dig Vale and Mt Aleph up, and that the evil man would be unburied alive, and would escape. Being the best swordsman in the village, I was send down the mountain, to try and stop the excavations of Vale, but when I got to the site…they had already dug deep, and the Mercury Adept escaped…

            I ran back to Thor's Village to find that the Mercury adept and what seemed like one of the rebel armies after Alchemy were one step ahead of me. I returned to find my village burning, everyone I knew dying. I rushed to my house, and found my Grandfather there, barely alive. He told me that the Mercury Adept wanted everyone in the village dead, because they wouldn't give up a powerful heirloom…Grandfather gave it to me, and told me to run…

            So I ran down the mountain. I didn't know whether I was being followed or not; I just ran. It's a big mountain, so three days later, I reached the bottom and Lunpa. Since then, I've just been running, trying to shake the last of the Mercury Adept's forces off my tail…and that's what you saw earlier. And so now, here I am," Bethany finished.

"How…why did you trust us with all that?" Piers asked.

"Because you lit the lighthouses," Bethany answered simply.

"How do you-?" Isaac frowned.

"I've seen you all before…in my dreams,"

( Ivan – crap, that was _long!!!_

PG – I kno. 

Ivan – that was a heck of a lot on just Bethany's life story…

Pg – well, I couldn't have a new character without everyone knowing her background, can I?

Ivan – but what about the 'powerful heirloom'? When are we gonna find out what it is?

PG – in time, Ivan. In time. That's what chapters are for. Anyways, R&R, ppls!

Ivan - *nicks notebook again* hey, this says-

Pg – nooooooo! *yells over what Ivan says* Phew. They didn't hear.)


	3. In Kalay Fortress

Chapter 3 - In Kalay Fortress

(Disclaimer: I do not own GS. Or Kirby.(^ '-')*) hey! Kirby swore!

Ivan – so, you're naming chapters now? In Kalay Fortress?

PG - yah. Im going back and editing all the chapter titles with, well, chapter titles, cos they seem more interesting.

Ivan – meh. *nicks notebook again* Hey-

PG – how many times have I told you?! No telling the readers what is meant to come next!

Ivan – Awwww……but-

PG – NO! It'll ruin it for them like those damn adverts ruined the second LOTR movie for me! Telling me that-

Ivan – noooo, you'll spoil it for the ppl who haven't seen it yet!

PG – '-' they be ppl that r missin out…

Ivan – hey, this is a fanfic, you're meant to use proper grammar!

PG – yes, but it's also my author's notes section where I get to do a disclaimer, thank my reviewers, and ramble on about nothng particular with my muse until I remember that I'm actually meant to be doing a fanfic. In this case, it's good that I actually wrote a paragraph or so before I got bored and decided to natter on to Muse-Boy.

Ivan- hey, that makes it sound like I'm a superhero! Pika Girl and Muse Boy!!

PG – lolololololololol.

Ivan – it is my duty s Muse Boy to say thanx to all the reviewers that may have reviewed while PG writes on her laptop cos her dad nicked the comp cos he was working from home and forgot his!

PG – uhhh, what he said. On with the story!!! ^^

Ivan - ('-')

PG – no, that's Kirby. Now you have to do a disclaimer saying you don't own Kirby otherwise the ppls that do will hunt us down and sue us.

Ivan – ok. I do not own Kirby.

PG – wow, this is the longest…whatever this bit is…author's note…thingy…that I've written!!!)

Isaac blanched.

"You've…seen us in your dreams?!"

"Well, I _am_ a Jupiter adept, from a family renown for sight," Bethany answered matter-of-factly. "Lighting Mars Lighthouse looked…_painful_, in more ways than one…"

By the next lunchtime, Kalay was in sight.

"Tonight, we shall sleep on feather beds in Master Hammet's palace!" Ivan cried, rushing ahead.

"By Thor, I can't wait! I'm tired of sleeping on the trail, a few days is ok, but an _entire _month is waaay too much!" Bethany exclaimed.

_By Thor?_ Ivan thought. _I haven't heard that one before._

"Well, we could've flown overland on my ship, but we left it in the Kragol," Piers muttered. 

"_Flown_?" Bethany frowned, turning to the sullen mercury adept.

Piers brightened up a bit, and laughed, "We haven't told you of our ship? Well, m'dear, when you see it, you're sure to gasp- it's got _wings_!"

Bethany laughed at the image of a ship with wings, and was about to comment when Sheba, who had rushed ahead with Ivan, called out,

"Something's not right,"

Everyone ran to the crest of the hill the Jupiter adepts were standing atop. From a distance, Kalay looked as it always had, but closer up…

There was a glittering on the fence around the perimeter – a thin coat of something silvery. The walls where actually _higher_; you couldn't see into the town. Also, you could usually hear all the hustle and bustle of the city from the distance they were at; but they could near nothing but the squelch of mud at their feet and the lone cawing of a raven.

"Wha…" Ivan murmured, frowning worriedly.

Suddenly, he wrenched himself from the spot he stood at, and rushed towards the gates of the town he grew up in. When he reached the guards and made a move to enter, they crossed their lances into an 'X' shape, blocking Ivan access. As the rest of his group came to a stop behind him, he spluttered,

"What the _hell_ is going on here?!"

(Ivan – ooooh, have I just raised our rating?

PG – dunno. Ill check. You're the one who said that that is the kind of thing you'd say.

Ivan- meh.)

The guards observed Ivan through the slits in their visors, and the left-hand side one said curtly,

"The lord Hammet has commanded that no-one is to enter or exit Kalay,"

"Not even his own servant?!"

The guard regarded him carefully.

"I have not seen you before," He answered.

"_What?!_ I've been Master Hammet's servant for 15 years!! That's _fif-teen _long years!" Ivan exploded.

"If you are, as you say, Master Hammet's servant, prove it," The guard challenged.

Ivan dug furiously into his pack, and pulled out a copper token. He shoved it in the guard's face. The guard took his time and deliberation inspecting the token.

"It is old, but it is real. You may enter," 

The guard handed Ivan back his token, and both he and the other guard retracted their lances. Ivan walked through the archway, signalling for his friends to follow.

The town was deathly quiet inside. There was only the occasional flutter of someone running past the window in a house, or the creak of a door. Everyone was hiding – but from what, or whom, the group did not know. They just followed Ivan through the dusty streets, feeling the foreboding aura of the town in his or her gut. There was gloom and shadows everywhere.

Suddenly, from the darkness of a back alley, eighteen armoured men jumped out on Ivan. He yelled, and the rest of the group came rushing up, weapons ready to help. Sixteen of the attackers broke off, and turned to face the adepts. 

_Two men to face each, and them wearing bloody battlesuits with lances and me in traveller's clothes?! This doesn't seem very fair, psynergy or no!_ Bethany thought.

_Even worse…I think I recognise these guys…from Thor's Peak…_

She quickly thought back…

_She was hiding beneath a huge rock. On the other side, she could hear voices…_

_"Have you found her?"_

_"No, not yet,"_

_"Lord Alex will have our heads if we don't get her and Jupiter's Dragon!"_

_She instinctively clutched the jewel at her neck at the sound of its name. Suddenly, she burst out, in desperate attempt to catch the men by surprise. _

_"Spark plasma!!!" She cried._

_The men recoiled, and she took the opportunity to run further down the slope._

Yeah, these were the same guys. Two of them approached, lances ready. There was the look of recognition in their eyes… 

"It's her!" One cried.

_Holy crap!!_

"Spark plasma!!" Bethany cried, sending sparks at the advancing soldiers. "Spark plasma!!! **SPARK PLASMA!!**"

The two men withdrew an inch, giving Bethany time to slash. 

"Grand Gaia!" Felix cast, from the other side of the street, sending his two soldiers flying over the rooftops. Looking round, Bethany seemed to be the one in the most trouble – some soldiers were detaching themselves from other battles to come at her. There were now about _6 _men attacking her! Felix ran over, casting as he went.     

"_Odyssey!!"_ He yelled. "Grand Gaia!! Echo!!"

The djinn jumped over onto the nearest soldier, hitting so hard the soldier collapsed. Felix stepped over the body, and joined Bethany's side, and slashed out with the Sol Blade.  Ivan surged forward into the backs of the wall of soldiers with both Spark Plasma and a stabbing with his sword. There was a look of grim determination and anger on his face. 

(PG – well, that's chapter 3.

Ivan – *scrolls down* hey, why is chapter 4 below me?

PG – hahahah not anymore. In case you're wondering, folks, I was writing chappy 3, and decided that it was a bit long, so I cut it off and started writing this bit.

Ivan – I c. IS that y there's only…7 lines down there?

PG – yupperino.

Ivan – k…

PG – Well, R&R ppls!)


	4. Across to Tolbi

Chapter 4 – Across to Tolbi

(Disclaimer: I do not own GS.

PG – hey hey, it's finally here!!

Ivan – been a bit of a long time, eh?

PG – yeah, well…I was sitting with the laptop, looking at my notebook. Thinking. Suddenly, the ideas for the rest of this chapter flowed!! I got so much written, im waaay into chapter 5!!

Ivan - *grabs notebook* Meanwhile, the story plan for GS4 is already written…*flicks through* let's see…

Pg - *grabs notebook* no reading my notebook until I actually reach that part!! I'm still on GS3 chapter 4!!

Ivan – meh. Thanx to all the reviewers, otherwise they might kill us.)

"What the _hell_ is going on here?!" Ivan repeated his question, only this time- to Master Hammet's face. "What is the need of metal walls and guards at the gates who will not take a man's word?! Why have my friends and I been openly attacked in the streets?"

"You were _attacked?_" Hammet exclaimed. "I knew of the metal walls, and- and, the guards, but you were attacked?!"

"Eighteen men jumped on us on the high street," Ivan said snappily.

"_Eighteen_?!" Hammet repeated in disbelief. 

"Eighteen," Ivan confirmed coolly, arms crossed across his chest.

Hammet turned to one of his other servants, and quickly told the boy something. The servant hurried off urgently. Hammet faced Ivan and friends again.

"You can stay for the night in the west wing of the palace. I am sending some of my finest troops to scout the city so you may leave unharmed tomorrow,"

                                                ***

The darkness consumed the length of the corridor, leaving an almost endless looking path, illuminated only by the faint moonlight through the windows at either end. The soft carpet smothered any sound, so when a door opened, no one would have heard it. Not that anyone was awake to hear it anyway. Isaac slipped quietly out of his room, and checked the hallway. It was clear.

_I wasn't really expecting anyone to be there, but…better safe than sorry._

Isaac tiptoed across the corridor, and rapped gently on a door before pushing it gently open. There was a flurry of movement, and the sounds of a match striking a tinderbox. A small flame flared, lighting up the face of a young blue haired Mercury Adept. Mia lit one of the candles hanging from a bracket on the wall, and faced the one who had just entered; making sure that the tie on her blue dressing gown was secure, she smiled. 

"Wow," Isaac breathed. "You look…beautiful…"

Mia laughed softly, a sound like the soft splash of a drop of water into a still pool.

"Why, thank you," She grinned flirtatiously. 

Isaac closed the door behind him. 

The birds started singing their early morning songs, soft and sweet. The corridor was lit up at last; several doors were visible. One opened inwards, and Isaac stepped out, and flitted across to his own door. 

_What people don't know can't hurt them. _

                                                ***

The dock where Piers' ship was docked was only a mile or so away from Kalay. The group was off, flying across the Kragol before midday, thus reached Tolbi dock well before nightfall. The group tramped eagerly across land, hoping to find a room in Tolbi inn for the night. 

"Tolbi should be over that hill," Piers informed, waving his hand north-west whilst looking at the map.

"I've never been to Tolbi before," Sheba said absent-mindedly. 

"There's lots of shops!" Mia cried excitedly. "Clothes and trinkets and…and…"

"I stopped off in Tolbi a few years back while travelling with my parents," Bethany added. "The Colloso was on, and my dad couldn't resist watching the final…" 

"I won the Colloso once!" Isaac pouted.

Bethany gave him a sceptical look.  

"I _did_!!" Isaac crossed his arms across his chest, and frowned. But mere moments later he burst out laughing at the look he was getting from the group.

"I see Tolbi!!" Jenna called. "Weird flag hanging from the palace, though,"

Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia shared surprised looks with each other, and ran up beside Jenna. There was indeed a weird flag flapping in the breeze atop the palace. It was black, splattered messily with blue, and the rough, dark- red outline of the Ply fairy.

"Whaa…?" Garet muttered.

"That wasn't there before," Ivan stated.

The rest of the group crowded round the crest of the hill to get a better view. Only Bethany hung back.

"That's one of Alex's flags," She whispered.

The adepts in front of her swirled round and gaped.

"It was hanging from the gateposts of my village when it was burning. It is no flag of ours, and if it were, what would it be doing here? Alex set the village alight, therefore it is likely one of his,"

The adepts swirled back round to face Tolbi again. 

"But what's it doing here then?" Felix wondered aloud.

"In the days of the warring domains, if a host took a town by force under its rule, then they would fly their flag for all to know that it was theirs," Kraden instructed. "It seems Alex has taken Tolbi under his rule, and flies his flag for all to know it has fallen,"

"There goes our chances of getting that book you wanted, Kraden," Isaac pointed out.

"Not entirely," Kraden gave Ivan, Bethany and Sheba a crafty look. "I have an idea,"

(PG – woot, there yas go!!

Ivan – lemme guess- five seconds after you post this up on ff.net, you'll have chapter 5 ready, eh?

PG – nah. Still gotta finish that off. Gotta write the chappy climax. Bwahahahaha...

Ivan – authors laughing manically is never a good sign… *gulp*

PG – bwahah. R&R, and stay tuned to find out what Kraden's idea is!!

Ivan – an idea from Kraden? That's never good….) 


	5. Venturing into Tolbi

Chapter 5: Venturing into Tolbi

(Disclaimer: I dun own gs. (or Little Britain.) 

PG – whoo! Chapter 5 without a major story breakdown!!

Ivan – whaaa?

PG – sometimes b4 ive been writing stories then half-way thro I forget whats happening next.

Ivan – but you have a story plan?

PG – yeah, I kno!! (in Andy from Little Britain's voice) 

Ivan – isn't that advertising?

PG – nah, I heard the series ended.

Ivan – oh.

PG – but isn't it strange how even ppl hu haven't seen Little Britain are still quoting their guts out? The show's captured the heart of the nation!

Ivan – while in countries where they don't show it, readers are staring at their computer screens in confuzzlement… 

PG – yeah I kno.

Ivan – lolol.

Pg - =D 

Ivan – thanx to any reviewers that I dun kno about or haven't reviewed at the time of saying this.) 

Venturing Into Tolbi

"So…where's this library again?" Sheba asked.

The three Jupiter adepts, Bethany, Sheba and Ivan had been sent into Tolbi to retrieve the book Kraden wanted. He had given them precise directions into the heart of Tolbi's palace, and also told them to cloak themselves as not to be caught. So now they tiptoed through the guarded streets, keeping to the shadows and evading the shifting guards. When they at last reached the palace gates, they were pleasantly surprised to find the front doors unguarded.

_They must think that intruders will be caught before they reach this point,_ Sheba thought.

The entrance hall of the palace was dimly lit, spacious and empty. The three uncloaked themselves to allow their psynergy to regenerate.

"Ok. From here, we have to go through…" Ivan thought for a second, looking around at the many doors leading off the hall. "Up that staircase,"

He pointed to a small staircase, roughly to the left of the forward most part of the room. Walking over to it, he ascended, signalling for Bethany and Sheba to follow. Atop the staircase was a long corridor with many partitions. It felt hushed in the corridor as the three adepts walked along, Ivan gently muttering directions to himself lest he forget them and get lost inside the immense palace. Reaching a red carpet in the middle of the level, Ivan looked ahead, noticing the door Kraden had mentioned. Heaving the great double doors open, he found himself in the Throne Room. Pausing slightly, he frowned. 

Surely the one taking position of Lord of Tolbi would be here? Why is this place so derelict? I remember when Babi was the one who sat in that throne…what would he do if he saw the condition of this place now…

From the great room, Ivan turned left. Behind a jutting of wall was a downwards staircase. After making sure the other two Jupiter adepts were still following, Ivan walked down the staircase. There was one solitary door down the staircase, which Ivan opened. Inside were an elaborate bed, a bookcase, and a desk, all decked in silks and other finery. Walking up to the bookcase, Ivan started searching for a book he'd been instructed to find. Finding it, the pulled it out slightly. There was the sound of shifting stone, and the bookcase grunted, moving over, revealing a hidden staircase. Smiling to himself, Ivan grabbed a torch from one of the brackets on the wall, and stepped down he rough, uneven stone into a corridor hat looked as if it had been carved out if the bedrock beneath Tolbi itself. Waving the torch into the dark passage, the Jupiter adept lit some of the unused torches on the crevice walls, and lead the way into the semi-darkness. For at least five minutes the three adepts walked, relying on Ivan's memorization of Kraden's directions. Suddenly, Ivan stopped dead still. Sheba and Bethany bumped into him, and looked where he was looking.

"Babi's personal library," Ivan breathed. 

There was a big sign above the double doors, which read 'LIBRARY – access only with Babi's permission'

"Man, that's obvious, Ivan," Bethany whispered.

Sheba giggled, and Ivan pushed the library doors open furiously. The three gasped. There were thousands of rows of books, shelves of pigeonholes with scrolls poking out. A small desk near the door held great leather-bound volumes of directories.

"We should probably start looking there," Bethany said, pointing to the directories. "What was the name of the book again?"

"Prophecies of War, written by Kiefga Amorazi,"

Bethany started inspecting the spines of some of the directories for the 'A' author section. Finding the book she needed, she opened the huge manuscript, and began searching the pages for the name, Sheba and Ivan helping by peering over her shoulders and checking the list, too. Finally finding the name, she scanned across the page to the reference number.

"Reference number 1220," She said. Looking over at the actual shelves of books, she searched for the sign with the 1220s on it. Sheba saw it first, and walked over to find Kraden's book.

"Ready to get us out of here again, Ivan?" Bethany asked, watching Sheba disappear behind a wooden bookcase. 

"Umm, kinda," Ivan laughed. "Even when I first came to Tolbi and inside the palace, I never imagined it was this big…probably 'cause most of the doorways were locked or in inaccessible places…"

Bethany laughed too, and there was a glitter of mirth in her eyes that Ivan had never seen before, that temporarily eased the lines of tiredness around her eyes. She was about to say something else when a scream from behind a bookcase dragged their attention sharply back into focus of their mission. Looking round wildly, they traced the scream to behind the bookcase Sheba disappeared behind. Ivan and Bethany ran over, and found – 

"Help!!" Sheba cried, trying to wrestle two grown men off her arms.

There were a total of five armed men, who had seemed to have pounced upon Sheba from behind a nearby bookcase. Having taken Sheba by surprise, the men had been able to grab her arms and bind her psynergy. Kraden's book lay forgotten on the floor. 

"Spark plasma!!" Both Bethany and Ivan cried in union.    

The two men holding Sheba dodged the blast, but the thrashing bolts caught the other three. They recoiled, allowing time for both Ivan and Bethany to slash with their swords. Out of the corner of her eye, Bethany noticed one of the two guards pull on a torch bracket on the wall, shifting part of the wall round, revealing a thin passage. The two dragged Sheba down the path, trying to avoid her screaming and kicking. The wall slammed shut after them. 

_At least I know where they've gone…well, the general direction,_ Bethany thought, casting another spark plasma. _Man, we'd be sooo screwed if these guys were Venus adepts…._

Noticing that their comrades were gone, the three guys Ivan and Bethany were fighting scarpered away behind nearby bookcases. When Ivan tried to pursue them, he turned the corner to find them gone.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" He cried.

"Obvious," Bethany muttered. "It's our missing guards,"

"But…what are they doing here, of all places? Why not stop us at the door instead of waiting for us to come right into the heart of the palace?"

"Well…if Alex has captured Tolbi for himself… he might have suspicions over who would be brave enough to try and break into Tolbi…if we were attacked at the door, there's chance we might be able to retreat back out of Tolbi. If you leave the corridors unarmed, lull your enemy into a false sense of security, and wait until they're in the heart of the palace, it's harder for them to escape…"

"He wants intruders alive," Ivan concluded. 

"And maybe he himself might know something about the War of Alchemy," Bethany added.

Ivan nodded gravely.

"Now we've got the book, we need to rescue Sheba. Do you have any idea where she went?"

"One of those torch brackets opens up a secret door," Bethany said. "I think it was this one…"

Pulling on a bracket, the wall suddenly swirled round, and the pathway became visible.

"Let's go," Ivan said, taking the first step into the unknown.  

(Ivan – can't I just leave Tolbi behind, and leave Sheba in there? U kno, Pirate's Code?

PG – 1- ur not a pirate. 2- in that movie ur quoting, they decided it was more like 'rules', the pirate's code. 3- it screws my story plan up if u and Bethany neva free Sheba.

Ivan - . so I'm gonna be in Tolbi for about another chapter, eh?

PG – yeah. BTW readers- **READ THIS BIT PLZ!!** I actually went into Tolbi in my GS cart to research the layout of Tolbi palace. How's that for detail!? Only Isaac doesn't kno which book to pull out to get to Babi's Library, so u can't visit it in the game. Ahwell. But u can go up to the movey-bookcase. ^.^

Ivan – man…Im gonna try that, to make sure ur telling the truth…R&R, ppls….)


	6. Revelations

                        Chapter 6: Revelations 

(Disclaimer: I do nut own gs.

Ivan – why is the chappy title a book of the bible?

PG – cos…cos…there's revelations in this chapter.

Ivan – rite.

PG – IT'S SNOWING IN ENGLAND!! WOOT!!

Ivan – correction –_ was_ snowing.

PG – but…but…yeah. But I get a snow day anyway.

Ivan – correction – you begged your mum for a day off 'cos you would've had double science and PE.

PG – but…but…shuttup.)

"Wahhh!!" Sheba cried, landing with a hard bump on the stone floor.

Gently nursing her throbbing head, she turned just in time to see the dungeon door close with a crash behind her. Looking around at the forlorn cell, her eyes slowly got accustomed to the darkness, and she could make out the walls.

_This sure as heck wasn't in the mission plan._

"Are you one of the chosen ones?" A small voice from the corner of the cell whispered.

Staring through the gloom, Sheba could make out the figure of a hunched-up person. Crawling over the earth-packed floor, Sheba squinted. The figure seemed to be a girl…

"Who are you?" Sheba asked. 

"Terre," The hunched-up girl answered. "If you're not one of the chosen ones, then what are you…?"

"_Ivan!!_" Bethany cried angrily. 

Ivan scratched his head embarrassedly, laughing.

"Sorry!" He sniggered, dodging a swipe of Bethany's blade.

The two stood in the Tolbi Palace entrance hall once again, and their secret passage ground shut behind them.

"I told you we should've taken the left fork, not right!!" Bethany sighed exasperatedly.  

Ivan's laughing wore away, and he turned serious once again.

"If you want, you can go back to the others with the book, and I'll continue looking for Sheba," He suggested. 

"Nuh-uh!!" Bethany said, swiping air with her sword. "If I leave you here alone you'll end up going in circles!"

She turned round, and started trying to tug the wall open again. It stayed firmly shut, and the crack seemed to meld away into the stone. Sheathing her blade, she turned in the opposite direction to go back to the secret library again. 

"Don't drop the book!!" Ivan called after her, rushing to catch up.

"I don't intend to- I'm sick of this place already, I don't want to spend time looking for a dropped book!" 

"What d'you think's taking them so long?" Mia asked absent-mindedly, gently skimming the surface of the water at Tolbi wharf with her hand.

"Probably found an interesting book and are taking time to read it," Kraden suggested. "There are lots of interesting books in that library. Why, when I was living in Tolbi as Babi's best scholar, he would let me into the library, and I would spend hours at a time reading. There was one book about…"

"Why did I have to say _anything_?!" Mia moaned, as Kraden launched into a long speech about vegetables.

"…What are you doing here?" Terre finished. 

"Got captured," Sheba said simply.

"What were you doing here in the first place?"

Sheba began the tale of the events leading up to that moment, and by the time she finished she had Terre clinging onto her every word.

"What's your story then?" Sheba inquired. 

"Well…I'm 17, and I'm a Venus adept…" Terre explained. "I was born in Tolbi, have always lived here…but recently, the town got invaded before the armed forces could gather their weapons, the soldiers were cut down while struggling into their helms. The city was put under martial law; rebellions were stopped before they could flourish because of the Lord's spies. Ummm…. I think the Lord's name was Alex, or something like that…"

Sheba flinched at the sound of Alex's name.

_So…this place _is_ controlled by Alex now_…

"You know him?" Terre asked suspiciously. 

"Yeah," Sheba admitted. "But please, continue,"

Terre gave her a wary look before continuing her story. 

"After living about a week under martial law, Lord Alex's troops raided my parent's house, and brought us to him. He told me that I was one of the chosen ones to restore the elemental clans, and that when he found the other chosen ones I would have to die. As he signalled for his guards to take me to the dungeon, I heard him mutter something about having found two…Terre of Tolbi, me, and…a Bethany of the mountain," Terre paused. "Seeing as you know Lord Alex, do you know of Bethany of the mountain?"

Sheba's jaw dropped open.

_If that means whom I think it means…_she thought.

She was about to answer, when there was a sudden cry from behind the cell door. Twin flashes of lightening ripped the door off its hinges, and the burnt wood clattered across the floor of the cell. The acrid smell of fire wafted into the cell, causing Sheba and Terre to cough. Sheba squinted upwards. In the doorway, silhouetted against the smoke and debris of the smouldering door, was- 

"Someone need a rescue in here?" Ivan smiled.

"I told you it was the left fork, Ivan!!" Bethany laughed. 

"Guys!" Sheba cried. "You came!"

"Well, duh," Ivan said. "You've still got the cloak ball." He suddenly noticed Terre in the corner. "Who's your friend?"

"There's not enough time now. We have to go before more sentries get here!!"

(PG – wow, what a good use of…3 hours?!

Ivan - *snigger* you spent 3 hours of a snow day writing this?!

PG – and occasionally clicking the 'shuffle' button on Musicmatch Jukebox.

Ivan – LOL.

PG – shuttup.

Ivan – R&R ppls- tell PG whether it's a good waste of 3 hours….)


	7. Fight and Flight and Fight Again

                                    Chapter 7: Fight and Flight and Fight again

{Disclaimer: I do not own GS.

PG – Whoo! It's up!!

Ivan- Aaaand to the best of my knowledge, there have been jack new reviews. Even tho previous ones stated that this was PG's best work yet.

PG – ahwell. That dun matter to me. Altho it wuld be nice to, for once, get a review email come up in my inbox…

Ivan – yeah, a change from spam.

PG – I do not get spam!! My brother made my mum get spam, I do not get ANY!!

Ivan – meh.

PG – 'Ewan, you could win a holiday!!' 'Ewan, have you won a free car?!' 'Ewan, sign up with our credit card!!'

Ivan – lol. Stupid Ewan.

PG – Named and Shamed!!

Ivan – R&R, ppls. Plz.) 

Isaac yawned, stretched his arms, and continued patrolling the crest of the hill. The sun was setting a deep, crimson red, and he could think of a dozen things he'd rather be doing right now – keeping lookout for Ivan, Sheba and Bethany's return certainly wasn't one of them. Rubbing his eyes, he sat down on the long, tufted grass, and sighed. He stared dreamily into the sunset, wrapped in a shroud of thoughts, breaking from them only when he heard soft footfalls behind him. Turning, his eyes met with those of a certain Mercury Adept. 

"Hey, Mia," He whispered.

"Hi…"She lowered herself gracefully down beside Isaac, and smiled. "The sunset is beautiful…"

"Not as beautiful as you," Isaac muttered.

Mia giggled, and shuffled closer. Leaning her head on Isaac's shoulder, she watched the cloudless sky. Isaac felt himself going red; but, at least, this seemed a very comfortable position. Very comfortable indeed. Isaac leant over; very close to Mia's face…she didn't seem to mind…

Mia suddenly leapt up, and Isaac fell to the side as she pointed over across the plain.

"They're coming!" Mia cried. "Sheba, Ivan and Bethany are here!" 

Looking closer, Mia frowned.

"Who's that with them?"

The other adepts and Kraden, having heard Mia's outburst, hurried to the top of the hill, and they, too, saw the extra member of the party running towards them. 

"They've got it!!" Kraden called out happily, seeing Bethany wave the book energetically in the air.

"Ivan's mouthing something," Felix noted, his voice lined with suspicion. 

"G…go…" Jenna squinted. "Go…b…go back to the boat?"

The group shared a quick grimace, and dashed not to the boat, but instead, towards the four adepts coming out of Tolbi. When hey met in the centre of the plain, Ivan yelled out:

"You absolute _idiots!!_" 

"Whaa?" Garet ogled.

"GO-BACK-TO-THE-BOAT!!" Bethany raged. "WE-ARE-BEING-FOLLOWED!!"

At that very moment, a thin trickle of armed guards flowed out of Tolbi. Slowly but surely, the trickle turned into a stream, the stream into a great current of guards. 

"We told you to run!" Sheba fumed.

The adepts began running like they'd never run before. 

The forces of Tolbi were yelling like barbarians, brandishing their swords and spears and pikes menacingly. They were actually a bit faster than the group of adepts, and were catching up with them at a worrying pace. The adepts started casting psynergy behind them as they ran for the wharf. A flurry of Spark Plasmas, Mother Gaias, Diamond Bergs and Pyroclasms. Risking a glance behind him, Piers saw his psynergy bounce off of the leather hauberks of the soldiers, but leaving no damage. 

"It's…it's not working!" He exclaimed. "Don't waste your psynergy, it's not working!!"

_They must have some kind of psynergy block spell cast on their armour,_ he thought. 

He suddenly felt a searing pain in his shoulder, and threw a fleeting look round to see and arrow poking out of his tunic. Yanking it out, a dribble of blood seeped into the woven material. Piers quickly plyed, and cast Diamond Berg on the regiment of archers coming up on his left, hoping to freeze their bows taught.

"We're in range of their arrows!" He cried. 

Instinctively, the group raised their shields and other defensive items up onto their left side, to block the oncoming arrows. Noticing Bethany was shieldless, Ivan rushed to her side and covered both of them with his.

"Spark plasma!!" They cried together, burning several bowstrings to ashes with lightening bolts.

_Their armour might be resistant, but their weaponry sure as heck isn't!!_ Bethany thought.

The archers, abandoning their ruined bows, pulled out knives from hilts unseen at their sides. Having centred their attention on the leftmost rank of advancing enemies, the group of adepts were caught up from behind by the unit of swordsmen, and tried slashing at the last of the adepts. Isaac dodged a swipe from an enemy broadsword, and retaliated with a stab from the Gaia Blade. Halting for a second, he unleashed Titan Blade, stopping the foremost ranks of the unit, and giving the adepts more time. Finally, over the crest of the hill they ran, and the dock was in sight-

"Just a bit further!!" Piers encouraged. 

Going down the side of the hill was easier than going up. Rushing down, they got a slight, few-seconds advantage over the enemy. Coursing through the small wharf, the adepts sped across the pier and onto their ship. 

"Pull in the anchor! Felix, to the wheel! Prepare for lift off!" Commanded Piers.

"Aye aye, Captain," They chorused. 

There was a flurry of movement over by the gangplank, and Mia turned to see what was happening…

"We're being boarded!!" She screamed.

Terre, Ivan and Bethany were already below deck when they heard the scream. The sound of pounding feet as the adepts got ready to fight reverberated though the hull. 

_We won't be able to use much psynergy on them; otherwise the boat will crack or catch fire…_Ivan thought.

"Terre," He said, "Stay down here, you've only got a shield, and we have no spare weapons, you'll be no use up deck,"

Terre nodded gravely, and Ivan gave her a reassuring smile before leading Bethany back on deck. The boat was already a fair way from shore, but there was a group of 6 soldiers who had been able to grab hold before cast off. All the adepts were already fighting, and Kraden rushed past Ivan to the below decks, yelling something along the lines of "I'm too young to die!!".  Drawing their swords, Bethany and Ivan jumped into the fray. 

Instantly, one man changed the focus of his attention onto Bethany. He lunged with his sword at the Jupiter adept, and she jumped nimbly backwards, then came back with a vertical swipe. He blocked, then twisted his sword in attempt to wrench Bethany's from her hand. The blade caught at the hilt, and, thrusting forcefully to the side, Bethany sent it spinning it from the attacker's grasp. It flew over the rails of the boat, and a few moments later, could be heard splashing into the water. Pointing her sword at the man's throat, Bethany forced the man over the rails to join his sword in the dark, cold sea. She then joined Isaac's side, twirling and thrusting her blade at the enemies, proving the reason of why she had been the best swordsman in Thor's Village. 

(Ivan – R&R ppls plz.

PG- hey…im actually updating this more than the 1nce a week that I sed I wuld…kool…

Ivan – only cos uve got the story plan and want to get to the interesting bits.

PG – that might be a factor in this….

Ivan – might?! More like almost definitely!

PG – same dif.

Ivan- …touché. )


	8. How old is Piers?

                        Chapter 8: How old is Piers?

(Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun.

PG – OMG I'm sorry for having spent so long on this chappy!!

Ivan – most ppl will probably think the story's dead by now.

PG – NOOOOOOO!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!

Ivan - *shakes head* R&R plz ppls. )

"Lemuria," Kraden said suddenly.

The adepts all jerked up from half-sleeping positions to look at the elderly scholar. After beating the intruders off the deck of the ship, they had retreated below decks to wait while Kraden read through the book Ivan, Sheba and Bethany had retrieved. Terre had given a more detailed explanation of herself then in the dungeon with Sheba, and the adepts in turn had told her about themselves. But a while after that, conversation dried up, and they began to envy Felix and Piers navigating on deck.

"Lemuria," Kraden repeated, and glanced up from the texts in front of him.  

"Whaaaa…?" Muttered a half-awake Garet. 

"I believe we are in the midst of the war this book is about, since the Elemental Lighthouses have been lit. It says here that there are 8 chosen adepts- two of each element- who will restore the Elemental Clans, and bring peace to Weyard. But there is a catch; an evil adept, set on gaining Alchemy's power for himself. The ironic ways of fate have given this adept and this adept only the power to see who the chosen adepts are. But, luckily enough, the author of this book was able to see that one of these adepts- one Mercury adept- was a Lemurian who would be 16 in the year of the War," Kraden explained to a groaning crowd of adepts, who, having only just woken up, didn't really want to hear a long and boring speech from Kraden.

"You had a book about fifty centimetres thick," Isaac moaned, "And you condensed it into a summary of 5 minutes?"

"Yes,"

"What was the point of the author writing that much then?!"

"We shouldn't worry about that now," Kraden instructed. "We need to find out Pier's age, to see whether he's one of the chosen Adepts,"

As they all shuffled out on deck, Isaac and Garet hung back a second.

"Bet you 100 coins he's over 100," Isaac whispered.

"You're on,"

Piers sighed heavily, staring over the great blue expanse that was the Kragol as he watched for any obstacles in the water – a pretty pointless exercise, as Felix had the ship flying over the water instead. 

"What's on your mind, Cap'n Piers?" Felix asked idly. 

"Not much…" Piers answered. "I like being on top deck when sailing," He added.

"We've already established that," Felix smiled.

Piers nodded, and was about to comment when the remaining adepts burst out of the door that lead into the hull, tripping over each other and ending up as a shouting, wriggling pile.

"When did we see this before?" Piers mused. 

He and Felix laughed openly, as their comrades untangled themselves from each other.   

"It's not funny!" Isaac moaned, at the bottom of the pile of adepts.

This comment made Piers and Felix laugh even harder, glad that this time it was not them being squashed in the middle. 

"I'm not telling you," Piers said bluntly.

"But you have to!" Kraden exclaimed. "Even if it's just I'm older or younger or are 16!"

"Nope," Piers declared adamantly. 

"Mind read," Ivan whispered quietly, so Piers couldn't hear.

It seemed to be working for a moment. Ivan was at the brink of finding out what he needed…

"Oi!" Piers yelled, blocking his mind. 

"C'mon, Piers!" Jenna moaned.

"No!" He growled. "Back me up here, Felix," 

Turning his head from navigating but still keeping his hands on the wheel, Felix turned thoughtful for a moment.

"I think they might have a special reasons for this," He said finally. "They wouldn't pop you this question out of the blue…let's hear their tale before you deny them"

Piers sighed exasperatedly, but followed the adepts down belowdeck to hear their story. Felix chuckled to himself, and turned his attention back to steering the ship.

( PG – PLEASE WILL SOME PEOPLE REVIEW!!

Ivan – it's been years since we got a review for this. 

Pg – so, what will happen next?! Will Piers be the chosen Mercury Adept? How old is Piers? Find out next chapter, which I promise I won't spend months on!! 

Ivan – R&R.)


	9. Across the Eastern Sea

Chapter 9- Across the Eastern Sea

(Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun. If I did, GS3 would be out by now, and I would be in it.

Ivan – it's been years since u updated this fiction.

PG – fehhh. 

Ivan – any people that liked this fic have probably lost interest. 

PG – dun say tha!

Ivan – then hurry up and WRITE!!

PG- before I start, thanks to reviewers, I know that there was at least one this time!! R&R!!)

Across the Eastern Sea

"My age does not leave this room!!" Piers yelled as he stormed back on deck. 

He slammed the door, sighed, and leant against it. 

"Stupid kids," Felix mused.

"You're only one year older than most of them. And Kraden's older than you," 

Felix paused to think for a moment.

"Experience-wise, they're all younger than me anyway,"

Piers snorted, and joined the Venus Adept at the wheel. 

"We're reaching the eastern bank of the Karagol," Felix added. 

"Bring her up for flight, we'll clear this in no time,"

He swirled the wheel around once, then back the other way, and yanked down a lever beside it. With a jerk lifting them off the face of the water, the adepts all knew they were flying. Helped, of course, by the fact that they could feel the ship consuming their psynergy. 

There was a small, unnamed settlement on the stretch of ground separating the Karagol from the Great Eastern Sea. At the sight of a vast ship flapping it's wings above them, all the villagers poured outside of their houses to marvel at the sight. It's not every day you see a flying ship.

The billowing, churning mass of fog surrounding Lemuria was just ahead, engulfing the ship from a distance. 

"I don't know whether they're going to like this…." Piers groaned.

"Hmm? Why?" 

"Heh… the council weren't very pleased at our last visit…who says they'll warm up to us now…?"

Felix slowed the ship to navigate through the dense rocks. The fog wasn't helping either, so it was going v-e-r-y slowly. 

"Stop worrying. What's the worst that can happen?" He muttered. "You worry too much in your old age,"

"FELIX!! Don't you start!! I had that from the others!"

"Just joking…" Felix sighed. "Almost there now…it's just past that crag…"

There was a creaking sound behind them, and Jenna came up on deck.

"Just came to see how it's going, big brother," She smiled. 

_She smiles like she's known Felix forever, that he never got washed out of Vale…and yet, she's still trying to cope with the fact that he's alive, and that he's different from the Felix she knew 3 or 4 years ago…_ Piers thought. _Ah, but listen to me. Thinking to myself like a psychiatrist…_

But the look in her eyes when she thinks no-one's looking tells me that it's true… 

(PG - I know that was a bit short, but what's happening next has it's own chapter title and stuff.

Ivan – so don't delay, R&R today!!

PG - ….that was corny. ) 


End file.
